Thanks for the links, although I didn't read the PDF file. I happened to choose a passage at random which described why it was titled, Syriana, and that was enough for me!
The premise may have been more to our liking than it might seem on the surface. A Chinese entrance into the oil market is going to cause problems. We may even have to play some games. What I objected to was the impression that it was going to be another Prescot Bush et al slam dunk for liberal operatives. I objected to that and thought, no thanks.